Managing Multicultural Teams

Globalization has led to diverse, multicultural teams working together. JD Coaching and Consulting knows the importance of creating a high-performing organization. And the truth is, multicultural teams often generate frustrating management dilemmas.

Lack of communication is one of the main reasons teams falter, and communication within a multicultural realm can be even more challenging. Here is one communication tip:

Recognize the difference between direct and indirect communication.

Western cultures like the United States tend to communicate rather explicitly. The message and its meaning exist directly in their words. A direct communicator may say, “These project expectations were misrepresented to the client.” There is no need to imply the meaning; the context exists very clearly within that statement.

However, many cultures do not communicate so implicitly. For example, in a country such as Japan, it could be considered very brash, rude or embarrassing to speak so directly about a mistake. Instead, some lengthy discussion may be built around the question, “How might this project have run if the client expectations had been different?”

Our world is becoming more global by the minute, and organizations that don’t embrace these changes will struggle. Does your organization have the tools to traverse the challenges of multicultural communication? JD Coaching and Consulting has a passion for building more collaborative and engaged teams. Contact JD Coaching and Consulting to help guide your organization to embrace its full diversity potential.